Hansen hungry for more on scoreboard

Quarterback adds another dimension to Buffs' offense

Colorado's Tyler Hansen (middle) gets chased out for the pocket by Colorado State's Broderick Sargent (left) and runs for a first down.
(
MARK LEFFINGWELL
)

DENVER -- Colorado quarterback Tyler Hansen is now 1-0 against the Buffs` in-state rivals and 1-0 in season openers.

He`s also far from satisfied. Moments after CU had put the finishing touches on a 24-3 win over Colorado State on Saturday, Hansen said the win was nice, but "we want to score 40 points a game."

He`ll have his chance. After earning the starting job over Cody Hawkins in fall camp, Hansen solidified that position with his performance Saturday. The Buff junior completed 17 of 25 attempts for 192 yards, one touchdown and an interception, and also rushed for 32 yards and a touchdown (not counting yards subtracted for sacks).

"He did a nice job," CU coach Dan Hawkins said. "He made some plays with his feet. He missed a couple throws, but he made some too. He`s never going to be perfect, but I thought he played really well."

Hansen does indeed add a dimension to CU`s offense. He carried twice for 17 yards on CU`s first scoring drive, and later added two more runs for 7 yards each before scoring CU`s final touchdown on a 1-yard quarterback sneak.

"I`m a lot more relaxed out there," Hansen said. "Coach (Eric) Kiesau has taught me to read and react ... I felt like I was doing that for the most part today.

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I missed some things, which is going to happen, but for the most part I was on my reads. I felt really comfortable."

Hansen did make one major mistake when he took a sack for 16 yards early in the fourth quarter.

"Sometime you`re going to have that, especially with a quarterback that can run," Hawkins said. "But he has a greater understanding and he`s much more comfortable as far as being able to check plays and comfortable with the whole package."

Hansen`s two touchdown passes were picture-perfect. He found Travon Patterson over the middle for an 18-yard strike for CU`s first score of the game, then connected with a wide-open Scotty McKnight for a 27-yard scoring pass to put the Buffs up 14-0 in the second quarter.

"We`ve got weapons, and it`s not just one guy," Hansen said. "Teams can`t just concentrate on stopping one receiver. They have to respect all of them, and it makes a difference."

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